Remember the cows heading home
Call it a coincidence, a curiosity, or just a sign of the times, but last week, I couldn't help noticing two simultaneous events: Huntley's Farmers' Market opened its second season on our quaint town square, and the last farmstead on South Route 47 was razed to make way for a Wal-Mart.
The Riedl dairy farm, run for years by Don and Judy Riedl, had stood vacant for months, the milk cows long gone and its pastures filled with bulldozers. The old farmhouse, curtains still hanging in the windows, was first to fall to the wreckers, followed days later by the big dairy barn.
My husband Rusty and I loved driving by in the early evening to see the lights in the barn and the cows heading home at milking time. There were other barns, too, along that road between Huntley and the tollway, their windows aglow in the dusk, welcoming commuters back from work.
That was in 1993, not long ago but before the strip malls, the banks, the Jewel and Walgreens sprouted up in fields then inhabited by cows, corn, and soybeans. Sun City? We'd never heard of it. The outlet mall was months from completion, and neighbors questioned the wisdom of building it "so far out in the country." But that was then and this is now. As my granddad used to say, "That's progress for you."
Judy Riedl agrees. "We knew eventually this would happen, because of the growth," she said, "That area was going to be all commercial anyway."
Six years ago, she and her husband, Don, shut down their dairy operation and moved to Marengo but continued to rent the house and harvest the fields along Route 47 and Boyer Road, where his family had farmed for generations. For years, Judy wrote a popular local column, "From the Country," about life on the farm. It was hard, she says, to watch their old home disappear.
"It was sort of sad, going by it and seeing it. There was our place, Eddie and May Manke were across from us, and Floyd Drendel's place was a little ways up the road. We were the last ones (to sell) because we still wanted to keep going."
When Don's mother died last year, the farmland was sold to developers and its fate was sealed. Before the farmstead went down, she took plenty of photos and got a pleasant surprise. A demolition worker retrieved the old mailbox and a weathered wood sign with colorful pictures of cows, that stood for years at the farm's front entrance, and returned them to the Riedls.
"My daughter, April (Riedl Dill), painted it, and I'm going to have her fix it up again," Judy said.
Meanwhile, Huntley's new Farmer's Market began its second season on the downtown square. The open-air bazaar runs from 8 a.m. to noon each Saturday, June through September. This year's lineup includes: Le Petit Marche bakery (Crystal Lake), Intrinsic Perennial Gardens (Hebron), Elizabeth & Mary's Potting Bench (Crystal Lake), Wagner's Produce (Union), Providence Farms (Belvidere), Pawprint Barkery (West Chicago), St. Roger Abbey bakery (Algonquin), and O'Leary's Farm (Marengo).
Special events and entertainment are planned each week. Tomorrow, the Sun Tones barbershop singers will perform at 10:30 a.m. in the gazebo. "Dad's Day" portraits will be taken from 8 a.m. to noon at the Studio on the Square, and Richard McFarland, a Sun City resident and illustrator of the acclaimed children's book, "Grandfather's Wrinkles," will be on hand to chat with young fans and their parents between readings of the story at 9:30 and 11 a.m.
Book sale on square: The Friends of the Huntley Library will hold their Summer Book Sale today from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the old village hall on the corner of Coral and Church streets.
Steak fry: The Huntley Lions Club Father's Day steak fry runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the American Legion Hall on Coral Street. Prices are $15 for adults or $4 for a child's hamburger dinner (ages 10 and under.) Tickets will be sold at the door.
Congrats to new Miss Huntley: Congratulations to Jessica Briguglio, "Miss Huntley 2008," who won the title in last Saturday's pageant at Huntley High School, hosted by the Huntley Area Chamber of Commerce. Jessica, 17, will be a senior next year at Huntley High. She was sponsored by the Grafton Township Food Pantry, where she works as a volunteer.
Miss Huntley 2008 will appear at community events throughout the coming year. She will also receive a $1,500 college scholarship and will compete in the Miss McHenry County pageant, held in August at the McHenry County Fair.
The first runner-up, winning a $750 scholarship, was Amanda Goerlitz, sponsored by Dance Force Studios. Marissa Sopchyk (Hansmann Realty) was named Miss Congeniality; Alexa Bowser (1-to-1 Personal Training) was Miss Photogenic.
Also participating were Krista Bohme (Moore Turf Care), Nikita Chieco (Realty Executives Cornerstone), Katelyn DeAlmeida (Huntley Collision Center), Jackie Moen (Dean Foods), Monica Quiroz (Holiday Inn Express), Hannah Smith, (Coyote Auto Center), and Stephanie Tanski (Midwest Integrative Dentistry).
Food Pantry giveaway: Our new Miss Huntley will probably be working hard on June 26, when the Grafton Township Food Pantry holds a free food giveaway for township residents in need. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers will hand out 10,000 pounds of meat, fresh produce, baked goods, and nonperishable food items, as well as household supplies, at the township office on Vine Street. All persons who reside in Grafton Township are welcome to participate.
Participants may also pick up free books, thanks to the Friends of the Huntley Area Public Library. Light refreshments will be served and free bus service is available for seniors who do not have transportation. To arrange a ride, call (847) 669-8500. The food pantry, a 501(c)3 corporation, is open to the public each Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. To apply for help, to volunteer or to make a donation, call (847) 669-3328 or visit www. graftonfoodpantry.com.
Library programs: These Huntley library programs will be held at various locations around town; call (847) 669-5386. Game Night; for grades 6-12, today from 3-6 p.m. at the Huntley Park District's Deicke Community Room. Enjoy board games, card games, role-playing games, and other table top games of all kinds. Snacks are provided; a $5 fee may be paid at the door. Located at the old park office in Deicke Park, 11419 S. Route 47.
Senior Coffee; free, 10-11 a.m. June 16 at the National City Bank, 13300 Route 47. Learn which computer (desktop? laptop?) is right for you, and what to look for when you buy.
Tai Chi for adults; free, 7-8 p.m. June 19, at the old Huntley village hall, 11704 Coral St. An interactive demonstration of the basic movements, principles, and health benefits of Tai Chi. Watch if you want, or if you plan to give it a try, be sure to wear loose clothing and flat shoes.
Send your Huntley area news and events to Diane Ayers at huntleynews@ameritech.net or phone (847) 669-0848.